


The Man In The Shadows

by WorkInProgress84



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Fluff, M/M, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorkInProgress84/pseuds/WorkInProgress84
Summary: Just because you're not in the limelight doesn't mean people don't notice you, and Knights Of Camelot's fan Lucy would have had to be blind not to notice Merlin, who always hung around the band and seemed to be a (very special) rock in the frontman's shoe.





	The Man In The Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to write something with no porn in it and a lot of cheesiness, so here you go, and I also wanted to see if I could write a third person POV.  
This one goes out to all the crazies who queue for days before shows and know the names of the entire touring crew, you guys are badass.

Lucy looked up at the stage from the perfect vantage point: smack dab in the middle of first row, singing her heart out and moving to the rhythm with the rest of the crowd. Playing hookie two days in a row to queue for the show had definitely been worth it: Arthur and his boys had really outdone themselves for the Tintagel World Tour. 

She’d seen videos on Youtube and fan photos on Instagram, but as far as Lucy was concerned, Knights Of Camelot was a band better experienced live. Besides, when you saw them live, you got an added bonus: Merlin.

***

"Arthur, the fans wonder who this young man is who's always following you," a journalist calls from the back of the room, and though Arthur shields his eyes against the flashes, he probably can't see who asked.

"This is our security detail, Merlin," Arthur says, standing up to clap the skinny young man on the shoulder, making him wince.

The room erupts in chuckles as Merlin, his dark hair a glorious mess, shoves Arthur away with a roll of his eyes. The rest of the band snickers and looks on like they’re used to these two’s antics and find them quite entertaining.

"I'm actually Arthur's nanny. He suffers from a chronic inability to do anything by himself. And I'd probably be terrible as security; I'd happily lend a hand to whomever was plotting to kill your pompous self, Your Highness."

"Oh haha, you think you're hilarious, don't you? Don't mind him, he's always a bit grumpy when we haven't fed him the two tons of food he consumes every day."

"Probably because you had me running around to get you a comb for your hair or a cushion for your fat ars-"

"Yes, anyway," Arthur coughs as he takes his seat at the table again, "next question, please."

Merlin looks very pleased with himself, his prominent ears made less obvious by the blinding smile he casts for the back of Arthur's head.

Like he knows, Arthur turns around while another journalist is asking a question, catches Merlin red-handed and makes a face at him before focusing on the interview again.

***

Although he didn't play, Merlin was a fan favourite and an integral part of the band: he was there for meet-and-greets, came out to chat with fans who'd been queuing for ludicrous amounts of time and graciously took photos with everyone. Of course, he never lost an opportunity to trash-talk the lead singer in the most hilarious ways.

Merlin and Arthur's special friendship was fascinating to the fans; it was a rare brand, made of insults and noogies and shoving and practical jokes that made the band's Twitter a delight to follow. 

***

"And here we have His Majesty himself," Merlin whispers from behind the camera phone as he slinks up to a sleeping Arthur, tucked into a corner of their tour bus’ sofa, the hood of his sweater covering down to his eyebrows. "Now, did you know Arthur ‘I-Don’t-Smile-In-Photos-Ever’ Pendagron, big tough guy, is actually afraid of spiders? No? How about a demonstration..."

A long, elegant hand carefully deposits a medium-sized plastic spider on the purple sweater Arthur is wearing. Even in his sleep he is frowning.

There are muffled laughs coming from behind Merlin, which he shushes.

"You're going to ruin it, guys!" The phone shakes as Merlin turns it around to face him. It's too close, the camera barely catches his blue eyes and the top of his impressive cheekbones. "Now, remember before you comment to say how cruel I am to the prettiest member of the band, like I read the other day - you guys are bonkers - he's only getting what he deserves for leaving me at the petrol station the other day."

Merlin turns the phone back around. Arthur is still sleeping, unaware of what's coming up for him.

"Oh my God!" Merlin shouts, sounding horrified, and Arthur wakes up with a start.

He blinks, confused for a few seconds, then follows what must be the line of Merlin's eyes until he's looking down at-

Arthur _shrieks_. It's not a manly sound. Merlin barely manages to catch it on video, he's shaking so bad from how hard he's laughing.

When he recovers and the camera grows steadier again, Arthur is glowering at him.

"That'll teach you to-"

"_Merlin_!" Arthur charges.

Merlin squeaks and the video loses focus again as he turns and runs from the attack along the narrow corridor, bumping into Arthur's bandmates as he goes.

"Shit, shit shit, I did not think this through," he curses breathlessly as Arthur follows him, yelling indistinct threats.

The video cuts with Merlin's "oomf, goodbye, cruel world."

***

Saying that fans shipped it would have been a gross understatement. Lucy herself thought that surely, there was something more going on, what with the secret smiles they threw over their shoulders when they thought no one was looking (someone was always looking, that was international fame for you), the conniving gazes or the way they looked at each other when one or the other was busy. There were entire Tumblr pages dedicated to the bromance, some of them very well-documented.

While Lucy wasn't overinvested in the band's private lives, she'd have to have been blind not to see the relationship between Merlin and Arthur was different.

***

The video is bumpy and noisy as hell, making it hard to distinguish anything, be it image or sound. The rowdy crowd of fans is yelling at the top of their lungs for their favourite member, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band as they make their way through to the venue.

It's the band's first international tour, their first time ever in America and no one expected such a turn-up. Management needed to call security just so the guys and their crew could walk from the bus to the venue.

The burly men in black suits push back the more intense fans to ensure everyone's security, but it's still a scary, dangerous moment. Those men are all that's separating the band from people who, while they might not wish them harm, could certainly inflict it in such a compact mob.

Then Arthur's blonde head of hair appears, shockingly light amongst the black suits. His face looks panicked, his blue eyes wide with fear, and he's trying to turn around. He can't, caught in a tide that's inexorably driving him forward.

"Merlin!" he yells, so loud the camera picks it up even above the excited roar of the crowd that's closing in on him. "Where's Merlin?!"

"Sir, you need to keep moving," someone from security urges him.

"No! Where's Merlin?! Merlin!"

"It's okay, Arthur, I've got him!" It's barely audible on the video and it's impossible to tell who answers Arthur's distressed call.

"Send him over here!"

"He's fine, he's with me!"

"I don't care, Gwaine, get him here, now. I want him here. Merlin! Come up here!"

"Sir, we need to get you inside."

"Not until Merlin's here."

There's more movement, more yelling, until a floppy head of black hair sidles up to Arthur's blonde. Arthur plasters himself to Merlin's side and forcefully hauls him forward.

"I'm alright, I'm alright. Are you okay? Come on, we have to get you inside," Merlin pleads, as worried as Arthur.

The video cuts when the two young men stride off screen.

***

Right now Merlin was bobbing to the rhythm off to the side of the stage, his headset dangerously moving with him as he waited for a cock-up on stage he might have to fix at once. It was astonishing, really, how quick and efficient he was with his fingers, considering how notoriously clumsy he was in everything else.

***

Merlin's sitting in a dull grey plastic chair, one leg crossed over the other, stacked magazines piled on top of a low table in front of him. He gives a small wave and tight smile.

"So, here we are," Gwaine's voice says from behind the camera phone, uncharacteristically quiet. "A&E, also known as Merlin's home away from home. Tell us what happened, Merlin."

"_Merlin_," says an unimpressed voice that's definitely not Merlin's, and Gwaine pans on Arthur's form coming in with two steaming paper cups, "proved once again that he's incapable of even walking without breaking his face." He gingerly lowers himself in the seat beside Merlin's.

Gwaine zooms back so both Arthur and Merlin are in the frame. Merlin is rolling his eyes at Arthur's assessment of the situation.

"I missed a step coming down the bus and sprained my ankle," Merlin rectifies.

"Or so Doctor Merlin says, because obviously he went to medical school so he would know," Arthur scowls.

"I've sprained things before, I know how it feels."

"Right. I'd rather a professional looked at it."

"You're so cute when you're worried, Princess," Gwaine interjects gleefully. Merlin's face colours while Arthur's remains carefully blank.

"Of course I'm worried, that clutz can't very well carry or push equipment around if he's injured, and then we’ll have to replace him!"

"Right," Gwaine drawls as Merlin's face falls ever-so-slightly. "That's totally what this trip to the emergency room is about…"

"We don't have to stay here, honestly, Arthur, it's just a sprain. We could be here hours.”

"Shut up, Merlin."

The video cuts here, only to resume immediately. The only indication that time has passed is the change in lighting. Well, that and the subjects of the video.

Merlin and Arthur are still in their respective chairs, but they're both asleep. Somehow, in spite of how uncomfortable the position must be, Arthur's head is on Merlin's shoulder, cheek mashed against the bone, while Merlin uses the mop of blonde hair as a makeshift pillow. Merlin's face looks pinched, perhaps from the pain, while Arthur looks supremely at ease in his little cocoon.

"The Princess is going to have my balls for that," Gwaine chuckles softly. "So it was nice knowing you all, I guess. Bye!"

***

The rest of the gig went without a hitch, the energy a slap in the face. Merlin wasn’t required on stage once. Or at least, not before Arthur who, just as they were about to start the encore, took the mic, his sweaty hair matted to his forehead.

"Thanks again, London, you've been beautiful as always." The screams of pleasure made the very walls of the venue vibrate. "So, tonight's a special night: it's our very own Merlin's birthday."

The audience went mad and, when Lucy looked to the right, it was obvious from Merlin's flabbergasted expression he hadn’t been expecting the shout-out.

The band botched an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday when the entire venue started singing, and Arthur escaped a second to fetch and drag Merlin, who protested all the way, centre stage with him.

Reluctantly, his face as red as the t-shirt he was wearing, Merlin dropped in a stiff little bow that made Lucy and quite a few people giggle. The pleased smile showed he appreciated the gesture even though he was clearly uncomfortable being in the spotlight.

Arthur clapped him on the shoulder twice, an easy, genuine smile stretching his mouth and showing the slightly crooked teeth there was no way you’d ever see in photos. The other band members came to hug Merlin, too, Gwaine smacking a great big kiss on his cheek.

"Alright, alright, let the man breathe," Arthur said as he shooed Gwaine back to his drum kit. He watched Merlin scutter back to the sidelines with a fond grin and a shake of his head.

It was really quite obvious Arthur cared about Merlin more than he let on.

"Now where were we? Ah yes, music." The crowd erupted in crazy cheers as the first notes of the band's newest single rang out.

***

The video claims to be a Merthur compilation, a collection of all the things Arthur has said about Merlin over the past five years of the band’s existence.

"Merlin's a pain in the arse, yes, but I promised his mum I'd give him a job. God knows he's too hopeless to find one by himself."

"I guess you could say Merlin is the band's mascot. Hm, now that you mention it, maybe we'd do everyone a favour if we put him in a costume. It'd hide his ridiculous ears, for starters."

"It was a sprain, yes, Merlin was right. Does it mean I trust him to make a medical diagnosis? No. I maintain I was right to take him to A&E."

"Merlin's essential to the band. I don't think we'd function half as well without him. Believe it or not, he's the cement that brings us all together."

"I can't believe you people like him more than me. Is it the stupid cheekbones? I know he's got excellent bone structure but come on, I'm charming, look at me!"

"Did you guys know Merlin drools when he sleeps? It's appalling. He's appalling, really, all of him, truly atrocious in every way."

"No, I didn't mean that I watch Merlin sleep, that's preposterous. And creepy. His bunk bed is right in front of mine, though, it’s not like I can help it!"

"I think the fans might be a bit too invested in a relationship that doesn't exist. There's nothing going on between Merlin and I, no Notebook romance, nothing. Sorry to disappoint."

"Merlin's my friend."

***

The show was over and the audience was trickling out of the various exits but the music still echoed in Lucy's ears. It would pass. She wasn't in a hurry so she hung back, getting used to breathing again without the barrier digging into her diaphragm. She'd probably have a collection of bruises come morning, but they'd be marks she'd bear with pride, badges of honour.

All in all, it took a good half hour to evacuate the venue. Lucy followed, stopping by the loo then the merch table and the coat room, which wasted another half hour. The crowd had thinned out but some fans were still loitering, laughing and dancing like they were replaying the concert.

Lucy slipped out and, in the cover of darkness, sneaked out towards the area where she knew the tour bus would be parked. She wasn't after a selfie or even an autograph; she didn't know what she wanted, really, but perhaps just saying thank you for the show? Thank you for the music, as it were. She snorted to herself.

She was just about to turn around when some movement around the door caught her eye. Upon closer inspection - thank God for the soft light that came from the bus' couple of windows - the silhouettes became familiar. As did the way they moved. Merlin and Arthur; Arthur lounging back against the bus, Merlin swaying back and forth in front of him, from his heels to his tiptoes then back again.

Lucy didn't try to hide from her spot behind the fence, but neither did she make herself known. She couldn't believe she was star struck; she was so disappointed in herself. She'd wanted to say a few words to this band ever since she'd discovered them, and now she was tongue-tied. She felt so foolish.

"Where is it, then?"

Lucy was thrown out of her own head by Merlin's lively voice. There was nothing between them to stop the sound and the last of the fans were on the other side of the building so she could hear everything just fine.

"You are so impatient," Arthur's voice replied.

"You said you had a present for my birthday, of course I'm impatient! What is it? Is it a pony? I hope it's a pony."

"What on earth would you do with- No, you know what? I don't care. No, Merlin, it's not a pony."

Was Lucy imagining the nervousness in Arthur's voice? He sounded… tense.

"Why are we out here, then? Where's my present? _Oh._ There isn't a present and you didn't want me to start crying in front of everyone, is that it?" Merlin sounded manic, his tone bouncing from inquisitive to excited to disappointed.

"Have I told you how exhausting you are lately?" Arthur asked on an exhaled sigh.

"Right before the show, I believe. As if _you're_ a picnic. Now, about that present, hm?"

Arthur sighed again, ran a hand through his damp hair (though Lucy couldn't tell if it was from a shower or sweat). It stuck out in tufts reminiscent of Merlin's own hair; Lucy grinned.

"See, the thing is, I don't have a present per se. Or rather, I've already given you the present," he said hesitantly.

"You… have?"

There was a worrying silence that Arthur broke in a most solemn voice. "The present was the song."

"... You've lost me there."

"Of course; you really are an idiot."

"Oi! You can't be mean to me on my birthday!"

"The _song_, Merlin," Arthur said beseechingly. "The _song_ is the present."

"What song?"

"Merlin!" He sounded frustrated now.

"I think you're being deliberately cryptic."

"And you're being deliberately dense!"

"If there isn't a present, just say so, it's fine!" Merlin shouted, not to be outdone.

"The Love Song, for pity's sake!" The silence that rang after that last outburst lasted hours. Lucy's feet felt like they were stuck in concrete, she couldn't move, barely dared to breathe. "The encore, the single. It was for you. I wrote it for you. About you."

Arthur's eyes were cast to the side, looking into the distance even though he couldn't see more than a few feet into the darkness, like he was making a point of not looking at Merlin. Merlin who remained stubbornly silent. If it was unnerving for Lucy who knew Merlin was a chatterbox, it had to be excruciating for Arthur.

Lucy's own eyes couldn't have strayed from the pair of them if she'd tried as she waited with bated breath for Merlin's reaction. She assumed she couldn't be as eager as Arthur, naturally. It was like watching a romcom play out before her very eyes. She would never listen to The Love Song the same way again.

"You said Leon wrote that one."

"I lied, obviously."

"It's about falling in love with someone at uni, Arthur. And taking it to your grave."

"So it is."

Merlin fell silent again. Lucy seemed to recall it was where the two had met, through mutual friends. They'd soon found out they got on like a house on fire, although apparently Arthur's feelings had gone beyond mere friendship. Now all that separated them from a happy ending was Merlin's answer to the declaration. Lucy really hoped for a happy ending.

"Are you serious?" Merlin asked, so softly Lucy almost missed it. “Uni?”

"Yes. I was rather hoping for a more enthusiastic reaction, but I understand if my feelings are unrequited. Of course your job is safe, if you wish to stay on, but I could put in a good word wi-"

"You wrote me a song?" Merlin cut him off, sounding utterly bewildered. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Well, Leon did help with the music a little when I got stuck on the bridge."

"Arthur. You wrote me a song, that you called The Love Song, and then you played it for me on my birthday in front of a thousand people."

"I mean," Arthur started gruffly, "I've played it every night on the tour, but I wanted tonight to be special since I'd planned on telling you you were the inspiration behind it."

Merlin fell eerily silent again. The poor thing had to need some time to process the news, to give his history with Arthur some time to rearrange itself in light of this revelation. Arthur, impatient as he usually was, respected the moment of reflection.

And then, _then_\- Merlin took a step closer to Arthur, a hand coming up to cradle Arthur's face in his palm. Arthur covered it with his, as if he were afraid Merlin would drop it. Lucy’s arms erupted in goosebumps; they were so close to the happy ending.

"That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me."

"I would expect so, that was kind of the point," Arthur said, probably going for condescending and missing it by miles, his voice too strangled to achieve it.

"Okay, don't talk, you're ruining it."

"Excuse you! I'm-"

But Merlin surged forward and cut Arthur off with a kiss. Arthur's arms immediately wound around Merlin's back, holding him in a tight embrace.

Lucy felt like crying a little bit as she watched these two grown men make out, hidden like a creep in the dark. She was so moved. 

Merlin pulled back ever-so-slightly, Arthur's strong arms still encircling him like he just wasn't ready to let go. The rest of the conversation was lost to Lucy; she wouldn't be privy to Merlin's confession, but that was okay, she'd intruded enough already.

Sparing a last look at the new, happy couple, Lucy very quietly retreated the way she'd come, thinking how funny it was that she'd believed she wasn't overinvested in these blokes' lives.

***

The video starts with Merlin signing autographs outside one venue or another as the queue behind him is atwitter. 

“So, Merlin,” a disembodied female voice starts merrily, and Merlin looks up from the piece of paper he’s writing on to give the camera a smile worthy of the best toothpaste commercials, “what is it like being the boyfriend of Arthur Pendagron?”

“It’s about as awful as you’d expect.” The gathered fans all laugh, much to Merlin’s obvious delight. “He’s got terrible morning breath, like truly vile; think old horse meets sick llama.”

“It can’t be that bad! I heard he’s a sweetheart.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Merlin concedes with a fond little moue. “So he’s got his moments. Don’t tell him I said that or his head will never fit through doors again.”

“How did it happen, if it’s okay to ask?” someone else enquires, and although the question is indiscreet in nature, it’s asked respectfully enough that Merlin doesn’t seem to feel ambushed by it. “I mean, from the outside it looked like it came out of nowhere! You guys broke the internet for a minute there.”

“Oh, hardly,” he snorts. “Don’t you people have something better to do with your lives than follow mine like it’s a soap opera?” he quips, putting a sassy fist on his hip.

“Come on, Merlin, make us dream!” someone shouts from the back, making Merlin freeze then laugh along with the rest of the small crowd.

“Let’s just say, Arthur Pendagron is actually a big softie and the cheesiest of romantics. And he’s got an affinity for grand gestures, even if he also has a tendency to wait way too long to make his move. And that’s all you’ll get out of me, you nosey little buggers.”

The video cuts on Merlin’s mischievous smile.

***


End file.
